Deconstructing the Romance Genre | Christy, Briana, & Stephanie

When it comes to romance, readers have historically landed squarely on one side of the fence... love em' or hate em'. As the genre evolves, however, we're starting to see a new wave of romance fans. In today's episode, Stephanie, Christy, and Briana strive to deconstruct the contemporary romance genre. They'll explore a variety of tropes; such as, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, and friends to lovers, just to name a few. They'll also cover terminology and language specific to this genre, along with book recommendations from BIPOC  and queer authors. Fans of romance and skeptics alike will have a lot to learn from this episode. Share the love with Middletown Strong! 

Book Recommendations:
With Love From Cold World by Alicia Thompson
We Could Be So Good By Cat Sebastian
You Don’t have a Shot by Raquel Marie
Stars in their Eyes by Kacen Callendar
New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
As You Walk on By by Julian Winters
Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson
Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly
Behind the Scenes by Karina Stetz-Waters
Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Love at 350 Lisa Peers
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

This podcast uses music by Ashutosh, under a creative commons license:
Time by ASHUTOSH | https://soundcloud.com/grandakt
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Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Middletown Strong, 

looking up with Russell Library. I'm Christy Billings and today I have Stephanie Rush and Briana Gagnon. And we are going to be doing the Middletown Strong romance edition today. And you may think that you're not a romance reader, but I think after you hear what some of these ladies have to say, You may change your mind.

So please stay with us. We're going to talk today a little bit about tropes We're gonna talk today a little bit about second chance romance Slow burn, friends to lovers and some other types of things. We also are going to talk about queer romance. Um, and so  I'm really excited that we're gonna be  Talking about more of a modern day romance.

I think in the past  the romantic lead, the woman was always expected to kind of give up something in order to find her true love. And I think that's not the case anymore in, in romance. So if you didn't like it in the past, maybe, uh, you may give this a try. So ladies, how shall 

we start?  Um, I have a thought about the history of, um, romance books in popular culture.

So to kind of lead off what you just said, Christy, um, so I listened to a podcast a couple of years ago called, and now it's, oh, um. And now it's escaping me.  Um, and it's about, it was all about  like romance novels and in pop culture and they, they talked a little bit about how romance was such a maligned genre for so long because it's mainly written by women for women.

How interesting, yes. Which does not surprise me knowing our society and our culture overall, but to hear it said like that makes  It sort of makes sense to me that of course the genre was maligned because it was women writing for themselves and for other women. Right, so it was second class. 

Yeah. Wild.

And it kind of, um, it wasn't super popular because of that reason. But it seems like recently, in recent years, in the last maybe decade or so, it's taken a turn to become more inclusive, more diverse, and not just for female and femme readers. Right. Although it probably still is very much, that the base is probably still very much female and femme readers.

But, the genre has changed a lot, and I know growing up when I thought of a romance novel, I thought of a Harlequin, or I thought of a Fabio. Right, shirtless. 

Yeah, and we still 

have those, but the genre is not just that anymore.  So I'm excited to talk about today, like what, what we're starting to see emerge as trends and what the genre kind of means to us. 

So let's cover tropes, because this, this was new to me. Um, so romances kind of do fit into, uh, uh, some certain categories. So, um, Briana, do you want to take the tropes?  

Yeah, so some of the tropes that we're going to talk about today are  what we identified as kind of some of the more popular ones that you might notice.

If you're reading a lot of romance, especially contemporary romance. Um, so we're going to talk about enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, friends to lovers, forced proximity, and second chance romance.  And so I can kick things off with enemies to lovers. I picked Raiders of the Lost Heart by Joe Segura. Um, it's an adventure romance, only one tent, which is a nod to the only one bedroom, which is spicy.

Um, women in STEM. So it's got like the mummy vibes, like they're looking for this lost, fabled, I believe it was like lost fabled treasure, um, and she has to work with her enemy.  , but then they're gonna come to realize, oh, I actually like you. Mm-Hmm.  . I kind of hate that, but I kind of really like you. Classic.

Um, and this is just, which I think Stephanie and I have talked about before, but this is one of our favorite tropes. Mm-Hmm. This is, I think, always been a favorite of mine, and I'm kind of realizing 

it now, and I, it wasn't a favorite of mine until recently. So now we have that in common.  

So it's got just, the banter is just like top notch, because you're just reading about these people who you can just tell like cannot stand each other and then all of a sudden they're just gonna like kiss each other and be like, oh,  what's going on here?

What just happened? 

Whoa.  

And so it's just, it's fun to watch them go from enemies to lovers. 

And I think the thing I like about enemies to lovers, and Briana and I were talking a little bit about this off mic yesterday, um, is that I go to romance for the feelings. I go to romance because I want to feel a lot of big feelings, which if you're a listener of this podcast you know that because I read a lot of YA for the same reason, um, I want to feel and I want to connect with what the characters are feeling, so enemies to lovers is so fun because you're like, Oh, no, you're feeling one thing and all of a sudden you have other feelings and as a reader I'm just like getting tingles right now because you start to see the reader the Character feelings changing and you're like, oh feelings So I get like goose bumpy with enemies still lovers Especially because you find that moment where one of the characters changes and you're like, oh it is on from now on Sometimes it takes a little longer, but that moment where the enemies become the lovers, 

um, I know there's a meme, there's a lot of memes online that are like when the enemies become lovers and the person is like dancing, I'm like, that's me, that's me.

I'm laying in my bed thinking about it and then they turn into lovers and I'm like, 

woohoo.  It's just like these heightened emotions and feelings that the characters are typically kind of not wanting to feel. They're like, they're good in the enemy's hatred space, but when they start to catch the  enemies feelings they're like oh no I hate these but as a reader you're like no no no no no this is better  that's awesome I love it a lot of enemies to lovers lately I think people really like that trope yeah and I'm sure as a writer it's really fun to write  um I've written a little bit of like enemies to lover stories It's not full stories, but like little snippets and they're, they're really fun to write because you get to figure, you get to decide when that change comes and you get to decide how the characters are going to react and it's just so fun. 

My big question about Enemies to Lovers was, you know, I was still thinking in the old time romance was, does the woman now have to totally change herself because of the Enemies to Lovers piece, like she didn't like the guy because he was being whatever.  Nowadays, it sounds like, um, we were saying before that off mic, of course, that the women are able to stay themselves and they don't have to change entirely like, wow, this is mind blowing to me.

What I found with modern enemies to lovers, I guess, contemporary enemies to lovers, it's, it's not so much that you've changed. It's that your perception of the person has changed or the perception of the situation has changed. So like. I can still be my own personality, but realize that this love interest, I'm seeing them in a new light.

Maybe we were in a situation where I saw them differently. I think that's more what happens. I mean, I'm sure there are still books where they change and it's like, okay, we're tired of it, but. For this reader at least, I'm like, oh, you saw something you didn't see before, or you saw this person in a new light, and that's kind of where the shift for me at least starts to, um, so one of the books that I brought about with enemies to lovers is called With Love from Cold World by Alicia Thompson.

Um, this is a workplace romance that's also enemies to lovers, and so you've got that tension because they work together and they hate each other. Oh man. But then they start to get into these situations, at work, out of work, where they start to see each other in a way that they don't see each other regularly.

So, maybe they're not at work, maybe they're at a work function, or at a social outing. So like, outside of that workplace situation, they start 

to see each other as slightly different people. And so I think that happens a lot in enemy soldiers. Yeah. It's a situational difference. Do you want to go on to another trope or do you want to talk about some terminology?

What do you want to do? Let's talk about 

some terminology. That sounds good. Okay. So I had heard about Like the first time on this podcast, I had heard some of the terminology and I'm like, Oh, I'm fascinated. Tell me more. So let's talk about some of the terminology, open door, closed door.  

I feel like romance is one of those specific genres that has its own language.

Some of this applies to other things, um, but mostly it's like romance has its own little language. So, um, I did pull some language terminology examples. Um, I went to, I found romance, mfa. com. And it has a Romancelandia Glossary Guide to Romance Abbreviation and Terms. That is perfect. And I just pulled out the ones that I use or thought we could talk about.

I didn't pull them all because some of them I was like, I don't use that term. Um, but you know, so we have H E A or Happily Ever After, which as a general consensus is what makes something a romance. Either a happily ever after or a happy for now. That's typically when a book is considered a romance. So if you're not sure if you're reading romance or not, that's a really good litmus test.

Um, a third act break up, which Briana and I hate. Um, typically when Sounds terrible. It is terrible, it's terrible every time. 

It is. Um, typically when the characters are, uh, forced into a break up situation for various reasons, sometimes it makes sense, most often it does not. Like a Romeo and Juliet? Um, no, more just like, everything's going well, you're going well, you're going well, but for some reason we have to break you up to then get you back together.

Okay. Yeah, and usually it's because of a miscommunication or  we'll get to that later. Um, we have catnip or wheelhouse, 

so catnip, oh yeah,  catnip is a term, this is a general term, but specifically like catnip. Something that will get you to pick a book up a hundred percent 

like for me Oh, if you tell me it's fake dating and it's on a college campus catnip done Like I'm picking it up Like that book is catnip to me or it's like firmly in your wheelhouse Like it really fits right into the types of books you like to read  And we have the meet cute, which is typically how the two protagonists meet and they can range from Various types of situations, depending on the type of romance you're reading.

Um, and then I added in cinnamon roll because 

cinnamon rolls are my favorite characters. Um, and Christy asked me about this term a couple of weeks ago. I said, I love cinnamon roll 

characters. And Christy was like, what? What is that? Um, a 

cinnamon roll character is just like a character or a hero that 

is just so pure.

And you don't want anything bad to happen to them. And they're so lovely. And I realized that cinnamon roll characters are like my favorite types of characters. Whether they are the love interest or the main character.  I just want to hug the book and I don't want anything bad 

to happen to them. So when there's a third act break up and a cinnamon roll character, I get very sad. 

Um, so those are some terms. And then Christy had also mentioned opening closed door. And I think this would be a good time for us to lead into the conversation about the spicy and steamy scale. So this is going to get a little graphic. We're going to try to keep it professional, but just know that sometimes when we talk about romance novels, we are going to talk about some.

Spicy or steamy and that typically means sexual content. So we're gonna be professional and allude to it But we're gonna have a discussion about what that kind of means when we talk about romance novels. So Briana, do you want to talk about open closed door? 

Yeah, so a open door romance is showing  the Whatever, how do I phrase this?

It's a, the door is open to the reader, right? So 

you're going to know, so you're going to know what's going on when they are in their one bed or wherever it is they are. You're going to know every detail. Sometimes it's going to be really detailed, sometimes  it'll be quick. Um, but you're going to know.

What these two are doing.  Or in some cases multiples, but we're not going to go that far. But you'll know and if it's a closed door There's going to be none of that descriptive language kind of explaining what's going on. So really the door is closed. 

It's like a fade to black. Yeah, kind of thing. Yeah.

Yeah, um, or there's a and then there's tons of things that fall in the middle. So sometimes you'll get like a A little bit of open door and then the door shuts, like halfway through the scene, and you have to use your imagination, or there's not even a fade to black, it's just like the chapter's over and you just assume, um, or there's something that I, I like to call no descriptions, all vibes,  which is like, you don't name anything, not naming any body parts, you're just talking about what's happening, like, emotionally, I like that, because it's like, 

I don't have to worry about the terminology that the author has chosen to use for those body parts.

Right, yeah, sometimes,  

when we get into naming body parts, it gets a little, um, cringy. And I can't say I've ever read a romance where the author picked the right words every time. It's just, that's a preference thing, I think. And some people don't care, but I'm like, don't name them, just tell me what's going on in a vague vibes way.

That I'm into. Yeah.  Um, so typically when we talk about, um, steam in romance novels or sexual content, um, we'll be like, okay, so how spicy is it? Or where is it on the steamy scale? Um, I know some people would like to use like emojis, like sometimes people will use a chili pepper. Yep, which I have tattooed on my wrist as a nod to romance novels.

The spicy. 

Yeah, so if I was like, okay, Briana, that book you just read, where, like, how many chili peppers? It's a good indicator for me to know what I'm getting into and if it's a good book for me to pick up.  Briana and I have had conversations where I'm like, that book sounds so good, 

but you told me that it was like, open door, four spice level, and I'm like, okay, not for me, not for this reader.

And that is fine. We're not going to kink shame anybody. Everyone is free to read their own romance in their own way, but knowing yourself as a reader, I think also helps you pick better books.  Um, okay, I feel like I should talk 

about my spreadsheet now. Oh, I would love that! Yes, yes, 

yes. You know, some more, some more, um, topics.

So,  Christy and Briana know, and some of you also know, I keep a reading spreadsheet to track my reading stats. I've been doing this for a few years now, but this is my third year, um, 2024 will be my third year where I'm really tracking a lot. And I'm color coding it, I have a spreadsheet on my computer.

And so what I do is I track the author, the title, the things I liked in the book, things I didn't like in the book. I gave it a rating.  And then I also track things like author notes. So is the author female? Is the author a person of color? Is the author Indigenous? Is the author queer?  And I also keep track of the publisher so I can pick up more books by that publisher.

That's a new thing I added this year. I like that. That's that's really getting me to hone in and I also track the Genre and subgenre. So is it romance? Is it contemporary? Is it an adult? Is it a YA?  And then, um, I also track my reference source, which has been huge. So I note down who I got the recommendation from.

Whether it was from a list I found online or whether it was a direct recommendation from a person or from a podcast So that I can go back and be like, okay, my friend Casey. Hi, Casey is Huge for recommendations and all of the books that Casey recommended last year were hits for me So I know that when I need a book to read and I'm kind of unsure I go to Casey because I'm like, all right, what have you been reading lately? 

And I also know If I'm getting recommendations from a person that doesn't match my reading, I track that too because then I won't go to them as often because I know that I'm not going to match up as well. Um, so I track all these things in a spreadsheet.  

And then, um, for one, it's helpful for me to know what I'm like as a reader and it helps me pick better books because I have concrete data about what I've liked and what I haven't.

And then for days like this, I can go in and search in the spreadsheet and type in enemies to lovers and pull up all the books I've recently read 

with enemies to lovers to bring to the show. So I track my tropes. Uh, Christy asked if I track them with like a check mark. No, but I probably should. I track them more generally in the Things I've Liked section, um, but I'll know that like Grumpy Sunshine comes up a lot in my stats.

And Enemies to Lovers comes up a lot in my stats. Uh, Only One Bed comes up a lot in my stats. Um, so that's really helpful for me to go back and be like, okay, that book I read six months ago, I remember the cover and nothing else. And then I pull it up and I go, oh, I gave this one 4. 5 stars and I really liked that it was forced proximity and her comfort trope. 

So, it's a lot of data, and some people are not into tracking data, but it helps me be a better reader, 

and then it helps me recommend books to other people, too. So, yeah, tell us a 

little bit about Grumpy 

Sunshine. Yeah! Okay, so, Grumpy Sunshine is another trope. This is one of my favorites. Um, Grumpy Sunshine tends to be, it,  I will say this.

It typically is, she's grumpy and he's sunshine. However, it's 2024. We're really getting out of that binary. Um, sometimes he's Sunshine, and she's grumpy. Like, it can be mixed up, it can be different genders, it doesn't have to be a female and male.  It can be anything you want it to be. It's typically one protagonist has, one protagonist is grumpy, and one 

protagonist is sunshine, and they're love interests.So you get that dynamic of almost like enemies to lovers, not quite. Um, 

where one of them is just like kind of grumpy all the time, the other one's kind of bubbly all the time, and that intersects in really interesting ways. Um, for example, I read one last year called We Could Be So Good by Kat Sebastian, which was a historical romance.

And oh my gosh, grumpy sunshine to the max, there's two male characters, and he was grumpy and he was sunshine, and it was just so lovely to see the banter.  As with enemies to lovers, you get such good banter with Grumpy Sunshine because they see the world in such different ways. Um, and my husband and I have talked about this.

We are a Grumpy Sunshine couple. So I think that's why I like 
this trope because it reflects my personal experience and I see myself a lot in 
the Sunshine character. But I see my spouse in the grumpy character, which is really fun.  

I love that. Yeah. Briana, do you have a grumpy sunshine? I do. So I have a grumpy sunshine that is actually a sports romance called Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey.

That's coming out very soon. That's wow. Um, so it's basically about this pro golfer and his number one fan. And he is very much the grumpy, she's very much the sunshine. Um, some other tropes involved in this story are, like, it's a comeback story, so he's basically kind of not at his best. And his fangirl still supports him, and then he's like, what are you doing here?

Like, I suck. But she's still very much there. So, the term that she gave herself is Wellesbell. Her name is Josephine. But she calls herself Wellesbell. She gets all decked out, she's got her signs. Um, and so she ends up caddying for him and it's kind of like, Hey, like get your butt back in gear because you're better than how you're being right now.

Okay. And so, and what's in it for her is she is able to afford to purchase insulin because she is diabetic. And she's able to put money towards fixing her parents golf shop, which is ruined. Um, it was destroyed in a storm. So there's kind of, they're both getting. Um, but he's very much like, I hate everybody but her, like even his best friend who's not even his best friend, but it's like, he's like, I hate you, but like, she's great.

So is this a celebrity romance, sort of, if he's a famous golfer? You know, in a way, I can say. A little bit. Yeah. I know like that's a whole separate subgenre, but I know sometimes we get like celebrity characters, which I think is really fun. Yeah. Um, what I love about what you just said, two things. Um. One of the things that I think is a misconception about romance, and we can come back to this if we have more to say, but one of the misconceptions I think about romance is that it's just fluff.

It's not. It can be. There are some books out there that are just fluff if that's what you're looking for, and sometimes that's what you need. What I've noticed lately about contemporary romance is that  It's romance plus other stuff. It has such good other stuff. You've got characters who have real issues.

You have disability representation. You have characters who have a challenging family trauma, and they're bringing that all to the table. And it all kind of gets handled as baggage in one way or another in the romance, and I like that. The way that romance authors are kind of tackling those things either from their personal experience or just like through the written word But they're taking these bigger things  Pairing them with romantic feelings and making it a really fully fleshed out stories We're getting these great love stories that are also about real people and their problems Yeah, and I love it.

We're getting to see 

that. I agree. Yeah, it's like it's more than just like you said the fluffiness Yeah, we're getting to some real world. 

So there's definitely fluff. I love 

was like A 5 out of 5 star. And some of the spice scenes.  Tessa Bailey is known for that. She is. So if you love Tessa Bailey, you will love this book.

Which is why I do not read Tessa Bailey, because I know this about myself. She is one of the queens of spice, in my opinion. Some of it even for me, and normally I can, I've, I've read all different levels, but this was a lot at some point. So I was like, Oh, okay, I'm gonna close that door, I think.  

We're done.

Yeah.  But I love the disability representation. I love the, the piece that bring up diabetes and, and, and have that be  in a regular book. And it sounds like just character development happens now in romances. Yes. That's wild. I love it. Yeah. Um, so I want to jump back to some misconceptions about romance since I started on that train.

Um, I, I feel like, so for a while I didn't consider myself a romance reader. I didn't think that I was. Um, as you all know, I read a lot of YA. Mainly YA. And, um, a lot of my YA has romance in it. And I didn't think of myself as a romance reader, because, again, I was really stuck on that it has to be a bodice ripper, it has to be a Fabio, and now I know that's not true.

But I didn't identify as a romance reader because I didn't think it counted.  And now I'm like, who gets to tell me if it counts? Exactly.  Ya books have, have character development, they have tropes, they have romantic relationships, and they have happily ever actors or happily for now that counts absolutely counts.

Everything that counts. And so I've really just expanded the way I think about romance. Mm-Hmm. . And I think there's these, these common misconceptions that romance is only one thing. And that's not true. 

Yeah, it's definitely more than one note now. I 

love that. And I like that it has expanded into YA, um, because 

we're finding that young readers want that.

They want it, they want to see it. And some of them also want to read Colleen Hoover, and that is, that is their choice because they're seeing it on BookTok. But I like that there's so much good romance happening in YA that I don't have to give them an adult book. They can find it somewhere else. They can find it in a more age appropriate setting.

Um, and I'm also starting to see that, um, and people probably have big feelings about this, but, um, we're starting to get sexual content in YA books.  Um, which is a topic of discussion for a lot of people. Um, and it's relatively new. It is, it's relatively new. Um, in the past it was like, very taboo. You don't talk about sex with teens.

Number one, because if we don't talk about it, we can pretend they're not having it.  

Sorry, newsflash, they are. 

That's just reality, as somebody who works with teens. Um, but also, they,  they can't explore it  safely if it's not in their books. So putting more thoughtful sexual content into young adult books is actually really helpful for everyone because then they're not looking for it on the internet or looking for it in places that are not super safe.

They're exploring it in an avenue that was crafted for them. And so sometimes we get It's more of a fade to black, but there's like, there's a tension, there's open discussion about gender and sexuality that we were not seeing in YA 10, 15 years ago. I was not reading that. Um, but we have so much more discussion about it, and we have these authors who really know how to do it because they're writing the books that they wish that they had as teens, and now these teens get that, and now us as adults who read YA get that.

And they have such a talent for, for doing it in a way that is age appropriate. I will say, we do get a little bit open door, it's not super often. Um, and when that does happen, I will say, the characters are at the age of consent. So that's where it gets dicey. So, because most YA characters are not 18,  Um, we, it, it feels irresponsible to put that content in there.

It's alluded to, it's discussed, but the stuff that's seen on the page, I have only personally seen it in a YA book with characters that are 18 years old or older. 

Um, so I want to make that very clear. We're not having harlequin romances with on the page sex in books with 16 year old kids. That's not what I'm saying, but it's become a safe space.

for these young people to explore the, the ideas of sexuality and the ideas of consent. The language. The language around asking for consent, the language around talking about what you want, what you don't want, and talking about your needs, is huge in YA now, and I'm so glad it exists because That language is so important.

And that definitely was not done. This is amazing. And we don't 

even hear, see that in adult books all the time. 

I was just thinking that. I was like, I love when like we see characters like really telling each other what they want. Yeah.  It's almost like they, it's implied that like they can read each other's minds, but that's not how life works.

It's not. That's not the real deal. So that's great. 

And especially with young readers, we want them to know that these are conversations they should be having. And if they're not seeing them in books or in media, then they think they don't have to have them. And that's simply not true. And that's dangerous.

Um, so I love that this YA space is really giving room for these types of conversations.  And then we have what is called new adult or N. A. which is like the characters are just aging out of Y. A. Maybe they're in college. Maybe they're just out of college, but they're not quite an adult yet. Which I love reading in that zone because they can do a little bit more with the romance.

They can do a little bit more with the, with the, the sexual content and they can do a little bit more with the character growth that Might be a little stunted in a story about high schoolers or you don't want all the baggage of fully grown adults yet So it's like this nice little spot in the middle where everything's still kind of messy But messy with a little bit of maturity sweet spot.

I love that. Sorry. I just talked a lot I don't want to say anything else  Well, 

I would love to hear some of your titles  so  Feel free, yeah, feel free to share some of your recommendations. 

Sure, 

um, so, I actually have some sub genres to run down before we get into more writing. Okay, sounds good. Um, so, we've been talking a little bit about some sub genres, but, um, Briana has brought up contemporary.

So, contemporary romance is typically romance novels that are taking place around this time. Um, then you have historical romance, which, again, a little contentious because, um, Um, I guess the, what is considered historical fiction, um, is different to some people than other people. I guess there's a strict definition, but apparently it's 50 years. 

Okay. That's kind of what I've learned is that 50 years from the contemporary timeline 

is considered historical. 

Yeah. But that, as, as I get older, I go, I go, yeah, but that's. 

That's not that far ago. Yeah. 

People have strong feelings about that. Um, but technically historical, so historical we tend to see as like very historical, but you know, we're in 2024 now, historical can really be the 60s at this point.

Um, then you've got Regency, which is a sub genre of a sub genre of historical which I know, Briana, you're a fan of.  I'm not, but I know you are. So if I ever need a Regency rec, I will ask you.  

So, Bridgerton, for example, 

Regency Era Historical. Um, we have Romanticy, which is a new kind of sub genre? Yeah.

Karleigh, do you want to 

talk about Romanticy? Romanticy was, I think, very much spurred by the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and more recently, um,  Iron Flame, and  Fourth 

Wing? 

Fourth Wing. Wow, that would not come to me.  But, I read Fourth Wing and that was actually my introduction to romanticy. And that's never something I would pick up because I'm not really a fantasy girly.

But, I was like, this, people keep saying how great this is, I'm gonna just give it a go, and I loved it. Yeah. And so  . That was one book that I could just not stop recommending people read and like, even if you don't think you like fantasy, you might like this one because there's a lot of romance in it. Well, and 

the thing with romantic is that it's a mashup of romance and fantasy, which is not new. 

I think the term is new. I think the term is new. Romance has been in fantasy for a long time now. Mm-Hmm. . Um, but it seems like with, you know, book tube and book talk Mm-Hmm. and Bookstagram, we're starting to see that, that that mashup of that genre is growing in popularity. Yeah. But it's not a new genre.

It's just a new label that I think has been emerging because there's tons of fantasy stories that have romance in them. But 

maybe not the contemporary 

type. Yeah, like the fantasy before was really like the old school. Yeah romance. Yeah, I feel like yeah We're like it was very much male centric and like damsel in distress.

Yes Yeah,  so it's kind of changed along with the genre and it's changed along with the With, with kind of the current trends. Yeah. Um, so romantic, romanticy is very big right now. Um, rom com is another sub genre. I love a romantic comedy. I love a book that's funny and charming, so I tend to pick up rom coms.

And the rom coms also tend to have, like, really cutesy covers. The cartoon covers of the books. Yes. Which, again, people have strong feelings about, but, um, because every romance book in the last eight years has had, like, a cutesy, cartoony cover. Some of them are better than others, but everyone has their thoughts on that.

That's a whole separate episode.  We have dark romance, which I don't read, but I know is also pretty popular on the internet. 

Explain a little bit more about what dark romance is. 

Um, I don't even know how to define it because I don't really read it. When I think of it, I think of like the mafia romances or like the billionaire romances.

Yes. There's just like  There's just a darker content, I guess. Like 

Fifty Shades, would that be? 

Fifty Shades 
probably is a dark romance. 

Um, like, I know, um, The Haunting of Adeline, I think is the title of that. I've heard kind of synonymous with dark romance. I just, it's 

never really been my vibe. Or I guess like a horror romance, which we don't see super often, but horror romance is kind of a dark romance.

Um, it's definitely like a more mature themed romance book, compared to like a rom com.  Um, sure. We have Paranormal Romance, which, let's see, self explanatory. I mean, you could say Twilight is a Paranormal Romance, but it's the only one  that actually has been growing. I've never read it, but I've noticed it more recently.

I was actually gifted a Paranormal Romance for Christmas from my niece. Um, it's a vampire romance. I haven't read it yet, but, um, it definitely has, like, that Harlequin type cover, so it's not something I typically pick up, but I'm gonna try it. Because it was a gift from somebody I love. Um, but yeah, I find that readers who like paranormal romance really like it.

Like, they really like it. I want to say that Bride by Allie Hazelwood, which is coming out soon, falls under that category. 

It's a vampire werewolf. And she's a contemporary author. This is her first time writing paranormal crime.  We're starting to see that too. 

So we're starting to see these contemporary authors who've been writing just, um, Right, quote unquote regular romances that are starting to dip into paranormal because didn't you read one that had a  shapeshifter?

Yeah, so, um There is a book called The Fake Mates by Lana Ferguson I'm actually going to talk about one of her other books later on as one of the tropes we're going to mention But her first book was very much contemporary romance Set now, but then this next one is like shapeshifting werewolves in this like hospital setting When you told me that, I was like, wait, what?

It was like a wild concept, but like such a great book. But it worked. It worked so well. And I never thought I would like something like that, because normally I would hear, oh, shapeshifting, like, eh, not really my thing. But there's just something about what Lana does that just makes me want to like eat up everything she writes.

She's just amazing. And that's the nice thing about, um, when you find an author that you like and you trust them. And once they've gained your trust, they can kind of dip their toe into some other pools and see if you'll follow them along. And most of the time, we're there. So she is literally like going all over the place and I'm like, girl, you keep doing what you're doing because I will just Keep reading.

I'm gonna have to check out the hockey romance. Yes. It's coming out in like June or July, I think, of this 

year. Okay, and I didn't have this on my list, but sports romance is having a huge time right now. So I know last year, specifically in 2023, sports romance was like the top. Um, there were tons of hockey romances.

I read a soccer romance and I loved it, which was a shock. Um, tons of, uh, a lot of football ones, but hockey is the really big one right now. I think 

football will be right behind it. Yeah, I read a baseball one a couple of years ago too. But man, yeah, hockey and football. Those are the two big ones. 

That's really cool.

And then you were just talking about the golf one. So yeah, that's great. I love that. And I know we've seen some ice skater ones. I did read one that was in a ballerina and a hockey player. There you go. And it was like Single dad, she was his daughter's ballet teacher, and it was just, oh,  amazing. The set up is really salesy on that one.

Like when we talk about a meet queue, Yeah, that's great. If you say to me, that set up, I'm like, yes, that I want. That I want. Um, and I have two more subgenres just to mention. I don't have any recommendations for these because I don't read in this subgenre. Um, but we have Amish fiction, which is Huge.

Absolutely huge. Yes. Huge. I forget that's a thing all the time. And we also have Christian fiction, which is also pretty big. It's a pretty big market for it. Um, I don't read those, but lots of people do. Yeah. And, um, so those are also in like the umbrella of romance. There's just so many options. So many options.

Um, okay. So do we want to go back to some recommendations? Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, pick a trope and toss one 

out.  When I'm thinking of Friends to Lovers, because I believe that's where we left off when we were talking about tropes specifically, Um, I picked Red String Theory by Lauren Cong Jessen, and I loved her debut, which was Lunar Love, that came out in early 2023.

That had a 

cinnamon roll. A character! 

It had the cinnamon roll, Love Interest, I remember we finished it and I was like, Briana!  He was such a sweetie! I'm like, squeezing my cheeks, you guys 

can't see me. Her other, um, so we, when we're talking about main characters, MMC is male main character. So I might say MMC, and that's what I'm referring to, um, and FMC is female main character.

Um, so I would say the MMC in this book was also a cinnamon roll. So basically this was like a star crossed lovers, like, serendipitous. kind of meet up that just happens and like they spend this evening together and it's amazing and they're like oh my gosh like this person is amazing but I'm never gonna see you again and so of course like they swap numbers but the number that someone had was wrong they both just they never connected but then fate brings them back together which is actually a big part of the story is that The FMC believes in fate which has to do with this red string theory in Chinese mythology that you're connected to your person with this red string and you'll always kind of find your way into each other's lives and The MMC is very like scientific works for NASA.

He's like, I don't like fate is not a thing for me. I believe in science  And so they're kind of going through this Scientific experiment of seeing if this Red String Theory is a thing.

 Oh, I didn't realize that's what this one was about. Okay. Yeah, and so they're coming together, just becoming friends as they have to work together, and then they eventually realize, oh gosh, like, we really like each other.

Um, and so that was just, the language in this was so beautiful. Like, I just had to, I highlighted so many passages because I'm like, This is just some of the most beautiful prose I have read, and I just love this book 

so much. And that's a female Asian author, correct? Mm hmm. Yeah, and like I was saying earlier, the genre has definitely gotten more diverse, but, but, it's still largely a lot of white authors of straight authors.

We're definitely seeing more queer authors, and we're seeing more authors of color, but this genre is still You know because of publishing as a general thing still largely white  So we're also going to highlight some some non white authors later and some other of our favorites But um, I do want to add that it is important to know the publishing companies.

I think  People don't really look at that so much like, why do I need to care? But you do because these are the people that are going to publish books that you like And and authors of color and indigenous authors. I can't say the word indigenous authors  Those publishing companies are the ones you want to look for so it's really interesting and take the time to notice 

that and that's why I started tracking it in my spreadsheet because  I know for example, Balzer and Bray is a YA imprint that I love.

I've, almost every book they've put out, I love. And so I started tracking that because I'm like, Oh, no wonder I love all these books. They're all from Belzer and Bray, which means that their publisher is picking books of kind of similar, um, similar values, similar, similar themes. Um, and some, not all, but some publishers also have romance imprints.

So Berkeley has a romance imprint now, correct? And I went back and I realized, oh, I really like a lot of Berkeley books, that makes sense to me because now they're putting a lot of romance out. Um, it's a little bit of extra work to kind of dig into publishers.  But the nice thing is if you like a publisher and then you follow them on social media you kind of start to get books That are a better fit for you in your feed.

So yeah, I find that's helpful. 

Your experience will just be overall better Yeah, it's definitely worth that little extra bet. 

For sure. Um, so I also have a friend still, you just, you just did friends. I did. Okay. Um, so I have a friends to lovers recommendation. Um, this is a new adult book. It's called New Adult. 

So, um, this is New Adult by Timothy Janowski. Um, this is his third book. His fourth one just came out. I literally have it on my shelf to pick up this weekend. Um,  bear with me for a second. This is a, it's almost a queer retelling of Thirteen Going on Thirty. Ooh. Which is how it was 

sold. I would, I would sell me immediately.

Also, the cover is gorgeous. It's purple and has gemstones all over it. Oh, that's very cute. Um, so, the very brief setup is that, um, one of our main characters is a stand up comic.  And he's going through a rough patch, and he makes a wish on, uh, some gems, some like, yeah, it sounds a little kooky, I know, it's very like new agey and woo woo, but bear with me, it's a millennial story, it's very, for millennials, um, and he puts them under his pillow at night and like makes a wish and wakes up.

Years later, and is like, how did I get here, how is this my life, and has to figure out how to get back, if he wants to get back, and how to reconcile with this person that he's in love with and now, hmm, 20 years later, I can't remember, is still in his life but in a different capacity.  

Um, it's very fun. 

You don't have to suspend your disbelief, so it's definitely like a hint of magical realism sci fi.

And it's almost like a time travel romance,  um, which I think is super fun because then you get the characters in different times of their lives. But it ends up being a friends to lovers situation because they are friends in the original timeline and then in the new timeline they have to figure out how to kind of rebuild their relationship.

Um, and that's, it's called new adult but it's also in that new adult, um, age zone because they're in their 20s I believe, um, and then in their 30s. 

So, that's a really fun one. I love that. I love that too.  

The cover is just so great.  I feel like not enough people are talking about this one. I haven't heard of it until you brought it up.

Maybe in October? And I'm like, why is nobody screaming about this from the rooftops? It's so fun! Yeah, that's a fun one.  Alright, what else did we have to recommend? So 

we could move on to forced proximity.  Which is always a fun one when you're basically putting your main characters together and they have no way of kind of getting out of that situation.

So like one bed tends to fall under that. Um, so I thought of The Nanny by Lana Ferguson, which is a nanny and single dad situation. So he hires her to be a nanny for his daughter, which is also in a way like a workplace romance, which can be fun. Um, And so they're just they're living in the same house.

There's no escaping each other in that regard. And so they end up realizing how much they like each other. It just takes off from there. It's just very, very spicy. I 

also love a forced proximity in like an elevator, like a, almost like a confined space, because then it's like you really can't escape. You either have to ignore each other or just hash it out, which I think is fun.

Um, so, you know, I actually had one book that I, that had like ten different tropes. So I'm going to go back to With Love From Cold World by Alicia Thompson. This is also a Forks Pros, forced proximity.  

Um, because, like I said, it's a workplace romance, and then they get pushed together on projects, so they're working together all the time.

And sometimes that means, like, staying late at the office. Sometimes it means coming in early. Sometimes it means working in the same office space 

together.  

And the fun thing about from love with cold world is that it takes place in Florida, but they work at a winter themed like Attraction. So yeah, it's 80 degrees outside, but it's snowing inside.

So you get this also like really interesting. Cozy. Yes Like so the forest proximity is even cozier because 

they're in a cold  Attraction. So that's a fun one. And that one also has a cinnamon roll character. So of course I loved it. 

Um, and then another term that we sometimes use is book boyfriend, which is a little gendered, a little binary, but you can really use it to apply to anybody.

But that book, the male love interest, Asa,  Also bisexual, so it was like chaotic romance all over the place. He has blue hair. He's wonderful. So if you don't want to read the book, just because of that, I don't know what to tell you, but  

Yeah, so that one has enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine,  Uh, Force Proximity has all the things.

All the top heavy hitters there. All the big ones, all the big ones. Um, alright, what else do we have? 

Do you have a second chance? 

I do, so the second chance I picked is actually by Rebecca Yaros, who is the writer of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. It's called In the Likely Event. Um, and so it's kind of this right person, wrong time.

They met. on an airplane which then like crashes right after takeoff and then they just keep kind of coming into each other's lives and The MMC is in the military. So it's kind of like  Our FMC kind of waiting to see if he is gonna leave that for her or blah blah blah And he's just kind of like in it.

He's not going anywhere. And so he ends up becoming her bodyguard And so they are like stuck together It's a pretty kind of Sticky situations in Afghanistan. Um, and so you kind of get a dual POV, which is the point of view. Um, so you're getting both of their points of view throughout the story, which I liked, because I like to know what they're both thinking.

I was gonna say that's a, that is very common in contemporary romance, is that you get the point of view of both love interests, which I also like, because then you're getting the, oh my god, what am I, what is happening? I'm catching feelings from both people? Yeah, it's fun. 

And it's a slow burn, which we've talked about.

I'll come back to that, yeah.  I have issues with because I'm like, no, just like kiss each other and like get it out already. But then if there's something to say and just kind of watching them slowly start to like  accept these feelings that they're starting to get. And then once it all comes together, it's 

just like fireworks.

If it comes together well, I can do a slow burn. If not, I get mad and throw the book on the ground. So, um, so I also have a second chance. So. So, second chance romances, I didn't think I liked until I picked one up and realized I do. Um, again, any trope, almost any trope, done well, I like. Not any, we'll get to that.

But, if it's done well, I don't really care what the trope is. And so, um, this was a little bit of a twist on the second chance. So sometimes the second chance is like, They were high school sweethearts and they broke up and they came back together, or maybe  one of them cheated and they came back together, which again, not a huge fan personally, or maybe they moved away, and like, there's a circumstance that tears them apart, and sometimes the circumstance is silly, and sometimes it's not, and so for this one, um, I read Stars in Their Eyes by Kacen Callender is a, um, a trans author who typically writes children's books, um, And this was their first adult romance or adult book and I was like, okay, I'm in but because it's an adult book It's very heavy on some of the trauma stuff  But this is two people who were kind of together at one point and it's a celebrity romance sort of situation and they're both dealing with their own stuff And so by the time they really do get it together and come back together they've worked through their stuff.

They've matured. Yes, and that's when a second chance romance does that. I am so in because it shows that whatever the reason was that you kind of came apart in the first place, that time and that growth and maturity can really fix Unless it was like,  unless it was like a big cheating situation or like depending on the situation But a situation where like you grew apart because you just were immature and you came back together because you grew It's great.

It's beautiful. Yeah, that's truer to life I think then we fell apart and we just randomly got back together like no you came back together because you both matured  And I love seeing you. Do you have a slogan? Other than that, well it's kind of both  So that one was both for me. Okay. Um, I do have a slow burn because this is the only one I think I've ever read and loved.

Um, so last year I read You Don't Have a Shot by Raquel Marie. This is a YA and this is the soccer romance. Oh, we were talking about this. 

This is a sapphic soccer romance. So this is two female characters. They are at soccer camp together. And they, so it's also forced proximity, they are forced to be captains of the same soccer team, and they hate each other.

So it's also enemies to lovers,  so it's actually, it's actually more rivals to lovers, which is kind of interchangeable, but to me it's like slightly different. So they're not really enemies, they're more rivals, and they were rivals on the soccer field, and then they get thrust together to be coaches of the same team, so they have to come together for this cause. 

Um, but they're both really doing their own growth in their own time, and so it does take over 300 pages to really get there, which is a little bit of a spoiler, sorry, but I want you to know going in, this is a slow burn, but it's so worth it. I got 

320 pages in and I was like, are they finally gonna kiss? 

And I will let you figure it out, but I was delighted by the end of this book. I gave it five stars, and I was shocked that I liked a slow burn. I was shocked that I like a soccer romance, but here we are.  Five stars says it all. Yeah, that was a fun one. That was a really fun one.  That's the nice thing about romance, too.

It's like you discover a lot about yourself as a reader.  If you'd asked me a year ago, I would have been like, I'm not reading that. No, I would have been like, enemy celebrities? No thank you. And now, now that I've read it done well, I'm like, actually, maybe we can give it a little bit of that banter. A little bit of opposites.

And sometimes, it's also opposites attract. Yeah. Is, uh, an enemy celebrity situation. See, that's the thing about tropes, my friends. They're everywhere, they overlap, they can work together.  Um, maybe we should talk about tropes we don't like since we're on the topic. Oh gosh, yeah. And again, we're not here to kink shame.

We're not here to shame you for any trope you may like. We are here to talk about the ones that we do not like. Yeah. With our own personal reasons. Briana, give me a trope you don't like. I'll start with the surprise pregnancy trope. Which, if I encounter that, I will just Throw the book across the room. I won't finish the book.

Yeah. There was a book I was reading over The holiday in like December and I didn't know there was going to be a surprise pregnancy until I got to the middle of the book and I was like,  no.  But I finished it, didn't like it at all,  but I felt like, and I normally will not finish something if I don't like it. 

But I felt obligated to finish this one because I was halfway through, but no. 

And you don't have to reveal the book. We don't want to trash any books here. No, I won't. But was that an author that you had liked and so you felt obligated for that reason? Or you just were like already in and so you finished?

I felt like I was already in and I liked the first book in the series well enough where I thought maybe it'll turn around for me, but no. 

Yeah. Because I find that if it's an author I like and I'm like, This is your third or fourth book and you're doing something I don't like, but I'm going to stay with you.

And sometimes it works out okay. But if it's an author you've never read before or like a new author, I'm just like goodbye.  I didn't like that. So similar, I also hate that and I also hate the proposal at the end or the wedding at the end. Sometimes, if it makes sense and it's done while I like it, but sometimes I'll be like, that's the best you could do?

It's like at the end of a teen movie when there's a prom and it's like, really? You couldn't be any more creative? Yeah. And so I'm just like, of course you got proposed to at the end because That's the only choice we have and it's very, maybe it's because it feels like very heteronormative to me that, that you have to get married and it just feels very like  traditional in a sense that is, um, not bad but traditional in a sense that is limiting.

No other options. Yeah, like romance is this genre that's always, uh, it's always moving and breathing and changing and to constantly have that be the end of the book, it's like, it's tired.  It's tired. So. Very unnecessary. Especially if it doesn't make narrative sense. If it makes narrative sense, I'll allow it.

And there are books where I finished and they got, they got 

married at the end and I cried and I was like, I don't even care, it was so cliché. But, there are 

times where I'm just like, it feels like it was tapped on because it needed to be there and it didn't. So I'm like, don't give me a proposal unless it makes sense, don't give me a wedding unless it makes sense, don't give me a baby unless it makes sense.

Yes. Yes. Alright. What else do you not like? 

I will say, we have talked about this, but the miscommunication trope.  And it's like  It's like, why do they have to miscommunicate to have some sort of issue that causes them to then break up, which is another trope, the third act breakup, which nobody, just, if you love it, good for you.

If you love it, please tell me why. Convince us. Because we can't. Because the third act breakup doesn't work. Because they almost always stem from some form of miscommunication. It's like, just talk about it. Don't just assume what you know is what's actually reality. I feel like we see this in romance movies like rom coms a lot.

Yeah. Um, it's just like I didn't know. It's like, well, you didn't talk about it, so of course you didn't know. And I, I really strongly dislike when a book hinges on miscommunication, because from the beginning, that's like, you couldn't have chosen something else to talk about. So I picked up a book a little while ago, I won't say what it is, I'm not here to trash a book, and I didn't finish it.

But, it sounded really good to me, but then the first chapter, I realized the entire plot Hinged on a character lying about their identity and I was like, I cannot read this because that to me is the same as miscommunication It's like you've started on the wrong note and you cannot recover from that and it had a good rating So I'm really curious, but maybe I'll read some reviews But for me, I couldn't get past the fact that it started on a lie and I was like, how can you create a romantic relationship out of that and  People who are in your car right now and you're screaming you're like that's not real life.

I get it There are people in real, there are lots of relationships in real life where this happens and that's real. Well guess what? I'm reading fiction and I don't want to read that. I don't want to read this. 

I don't want to read that. And if you don't want to read that because it more accurately reflects your experience, fine.

And I've had a conversation, I say this because a co worker of mine, I was explaining why I hate the miscommunication 

trope, and she said, 

Stephanie, you're so lucky that that's not your experience. And I was like, you're right. I am lucky that it's not my experience, but I also don't want to read about it.

And that, as a reader, It seems 

lame. It seems like this is sort of like the, the things you were just talking about. This is the best you could do. 

It seems lazy. And I don't want to call a writer lazy because writing is a craft. But sometimes I, I will, I'll be like, it seems like a lazy writing choice to just say miscommunication.

As if there's no like narrative buffer or arc for it. So 

I'm not calling authors lazy. I respect authors. But sometimes it seems like a lazy writing choice to just be like, well, they didn't talk about it. Woo!  So, if they didn't talk about it, why? Maybe they didn't talk about it because there's an actual communication disorder, or maybe there's a, there's some sort of barrier, but just didn't talk about it and made a problem?

Doesn't work for me as a reader.  It just doesn't. Alright, I also hate a love triangle.  I don't really read them. I don't read them on purpose.  I don't read them on purpose. Um, and this sounds like, 

okay, going back to all the classic YA's, so you've got, you've got The Hunger Games, and you've got Twilight. Both. Love triangles, for sure.

 But the thing for me is, there's always a better, there's always like an obvious choice for me, so a love triangle makes no sense, but it's interesting that like, in the culture, there's always people on both sides. Yeah. So I'm like, for example, The Hunger Games.  PETA? I'm te I was very much like PETA.

And other people were very much gale. And I'm like,  Okay, I see it, but also like, PETA is right. 

But PETA is correct! Um.  

But there are other times where I'm reading a love triangle and I go, How is it a triangle? That other option doesn't, doesn't make any sense.  So, love triangles are, are tough for me. Um, sometimes you see them in, um, dating show romances, which is hard to get around because that's the structure of the show.

So, um, I read One to Watch a couple years ago, which I really liked, but I was frustrated with the fact that, to me, the, the, Choice she should have picked was so obvious, but they set it up like the choice was not obvious I got so frustrated because as a reader, I was like, do you not trust me to see that this person is a good fit? 

it almost felt like I Wasn't smart that the author didn't think I was smart enough to make the right choice and I don't want to feel dumbed down to What I'm reading. I want the author to trust that I'm smart enough to figure it out. Yeah, I don't know where that came from, but that was just like a long tangent. 

I think that's also like a very classic thing that's been done to death as well. Like I love Janet Ivanovic, but we had the love triangle and we know that it's never gonna, she's never gonna pick.  So actually like I'm thinking like Joanna Fluke. There's a, a, a character who bakes cookies and she loves the town cop and she also loves this guy who's a dentist.

And so like the,  but they're never going to pick, it's a series. 

She's never going to pick either guy. It's always going to go back and forth. And that's annoying. Like that speaks to the, the, I'm not, your reader's not smart enough to know which one. 

Right. And that's the thing. And I will say, I think a love triangle, quote unquote, I don't even like calling it that, this kind of situation can work if.

For example, it's a queer romance and the, it hinges on the fact that this main character is trying to figure out their gender and sexual identity. That, to me, makes sense because maybe they're like, maybe they're gender fluid and they're figuring out, am I going to be with this, this non binary person or with this man or with this woman?

That to me is more of a character choice, not a love triangle, than a plot love triangle. Yes. So like it has some nuance and maybe I'm gonna make listeners mad about this opinion. It's my opinion. It's fine. I'm very strong in it, but I like, I wanna see it in a nuanced way. Like you say, Christie, it's been done to death.

Do it in a way that is nuanced or that is different and maybe I'll be into it. Absolutely. So that was a tangent about love triangles for 

no reason. That's great. No, no, I love that. Did we miss anything that, that you guys wanted to, to talk about?  

I feel like we covered a lot. Are there's, I think maybe we can move on to some romance books that we recommend.

Um, especially thinking of black authors or kind of people of color. Um, to kind of keep your, I know for me a lot of these are going to be books to keep your eye out for in 2024.  Maybe I haven't read yet, but I've kind of read enough to know that these are definitely. On my radar. Wants to watch. Wants to watch.

Yeah, cool. All right, uh, do you want to give us some of your ones to watch? Yeah, so the first one I have is a love song for Ricky Wilde by Tia Williams. And that comes out February 6th, 2024. Um, it's a historical fiction, historical romance set during like the Harlem Renaissance in Harlem.  Um, I was reading a little bit about it before we started recording when I was with Christy and I was like, Oh my gosh, this is literally going to be so good.

And Chrissy had actually read Tia Williams' other book, which was The Seven Days in June. Seven Days in June. Seven Days in 

June. Mm-Hmm. . And that would be like, I don't want to stop the, the, uh, recommendations 'cause you guys have some awesome, no, this can be your recommendation. 

I, I loved this book. Um, and I'm not really a romance reader.

Um, she kind of, it's a, um, second chance romance. Mm-Hmm. , now that I know the term. Mm-Hmm. . Um.  And the heroine, um, has a disability. She has chronic migraines. So, I love this, um, and both of the characters are African American. Anyway, I, you cannot go wrong, uh, reading Tia Williams. So, I'm looking forward to the second book, too. 

Keep going. Alright, go ahead. 

So, I'm gonna list my,  um, authors of, uh, color first before I go to my last one, which is a Regency. Perfect.  So next, I have Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Richon, which is, I believe, going to be a workplace romance, and there's going to be a French Bulldog, and I have a French Bulldog, so that sold me right away.

That's all you have to know. what the book was about. Um, so I believe that comes out in June. Um, so I'm very excited for that one. Um, the next one is The Partner Plot, which I'm reading right now. It comes out February 27th. Um, it's a second chance romance, high school sweethearts that fell apart for a reason I haven't found out yet. 

It better be a good one. I'm at the point where they are now kind of fake married because we didn't even talk about fake married fake dating, which is super fun. 

So they basically had a night out in Vegas after reuniting after like  nine, 10 years, I want to say, and they black out and wake up and they have wedding rings on and they're like, what happened?

And then they had a picture of them getting married, but it turned out to be a fake wedding. They paid to be fake married.  And so they're like, Oh, good. We didn't actually get married. That's a fun 

twist on that trope. So our FMC is kind of like, Okay, I gotta go buy, see, whatever. And she has to do this magazine interview and she is, and so the person interviewing her brings up her ex fiancee who cheated on her with one of her clients.

And so then she kind of gets into this headspace of, Oh, well, I actually just got married, so like, I'm living my best life, like, he can, they can do whatever they want. And so she's like, no one's gonna ever hear about this magazine interview. But then the whole town finds out,  and so they're like, why didn't you tell us the two of you got married?

To our MMC, who's like, I'm married? Oh no. So they're, he, the part I left off is he has just gone to our FMC and is like, what was this interview, like, what's going on?  And that's where I've left off and I'm really loving it so far. Um, and that is by Christina Forrest, if I didn't say. And then there's actually a book coming out in August by a Chickasaw author.

So, an indigenous author. I want to say through Berkeley, which is like huge because it's the first major publisher to have a indigenous 

romance. And this, and their romance imprint is growing. So that's exciting. Yep. 

So, that one is one that is on my radar and I follow the author and the book is called The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava, I think I'm saying her name right. 

Um, I think it's going to be like an enemies to lovers, maybe workplace romance.  Um, but I am just, it's, it's going to talk about life on the res, life in the 

city. 

Um, I'm just, I can't wait to add this to my cart and purchase it for the library. 

Yeah. That's exciting. As we were saying, when we were talking about this a couple of days ago, we are, there's not really that many indigenous romance books.

And like I had said earlier, like this is, it's, it's a growing diverse. Genre, but it's still very white. And so to see some indigenous authors getting in on the romance is really fun, really exciting. Mm-Hmm. . Yeah. And that'll hopefully open the door for others. Definitely. I'm cool. 

Very much excited about that.

Yay. And the last book I have is a regency called Near Duke. Well  stop by Alexandra Fasti coming out July 23rd. And that one's gonna be a Marriage of Convenience Found family, and. Swirgle vibes. And so someone I follow on bookstagram just posted a review of this one a couple, I think a week or so ago, and she sold me on it.

I had an early release copy, but I was like, I haven't been reading a lot of these kind of Regency era romances lately. But, from what she said, this sounds like it's going to be a really good one, so I'm looking forward to that. So those are my recommendations to kind of keep your eye out for. 

So I have, um, three recommendations by black authors, and then three other recommendations.

So I'll start with my, um, black author recommendations. I already mentioned Stars in Their Eyes by Kacen Callender. That, uh, celebrity adult trauma, like, romance. I swear, there's good stuff. There's, like, light stuff in it too. It's heavy, but there's also, like, Beautiful, light, romantic stuff in there. Um, but no, it's, it's a little, it's a little heavier.

It's a little darker. I wouldn't consider it a dark romance, but it's definitely a little heavier on the content side. Um, so just reader beware. I devoured it, but it's, it's a lot. Um, I also have As You Walk On By by Julian Winters. This is a YA book that I read, I think last year. Um, this is a black author.

This is a queer author and, um, As You Walk On By is a line from the Simple Minds song from The Breakfast Club, the Don't You Forget About Me. Every time I think about this book, that song gets stuck in my head, so you are welcome. Um, this is a high school romance, and um, it's about a young black boy, or young black man, gentleman.

16. Um, he has a, a non traditional family structure, which I loved. And, um, he's a cinnamon roll character. He's like so lovable, so sweet, and he's just trying to find a boyfriend and he's got some messy friendship stuff going on, he's got some, um, racial identity stuff going on, and he's just trying to get through the day, trying to keep his head up, trying to get to college, and he just keeps getting pummeled by all these teen dramatic things and messy friendships, confusing love stuff, uh, some fun scenes at a party.

Very, very fun. Very, very fun and delightful. Um, I would love to see some more  authors in the YA space. Black male authors, we're getting there, which is like something that, I don't know, I normally, I'm like, love more female authors, but in the YA space, black male authors are lacking. A bit rare. Yeah, they're a little rarer.

So I have another one by a black male author too. Um, my other recommendation is called Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson. I read this one. This is actually my last book of the year in 2023. Has this gorgeous cover. It's bright blue with a black male teenager and a black female teenager. They're laughing and there's candy thrown all over the place. 

So our main, our male main character, um, has like, like a secret candy business that he sells to people from like a janitor's closet. And then he realizes that his parents are both.  And people start coming to him for advice. So he starts a therapy business, like, out of the janitor's closet.  I love it. It's really fun.

Um, and it's also full of, like, messy teen friendship stuff, and, you know, falling in love for the first time, and kind of learning how to navigate that space, and also, like, trying to figure out who you want to be, who is not your parents. So he's like, my parents are therapists, maybe I'll try doing therapy.

And I love that it focuses on therapy for teenagers, which we also see a lot in the YA space. It's like, these characters aren't going to therapy. It's a blessing. It is a blessing. But this kid is doing therapy, basically, in the janitor's closet for people. Um, and so he has these beautiful friendships and beautiful relationships that grow out of it.

Um, so that was a fun one and I'm looking forward to more from that author. Because just getting some more Black male characters in the YA space would be delightful. I have three more other recommendations from the last couple of years. One is called Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly. This is a queer author.

It's a new adult book. And it's about a couple that meets on a hiking trail. And that's all you need to know. It's delightful. Just pick it up. Yep, just pick it up. If you like hiking and you like romance, I think you'll like this book. Another one I have is called Behind the Scenes by Karina Stutz Waters.

This is also a queer author and it has middle aged adult characters. I want to read this one. Yeah, so this is um, this is a an adult sapphic romance. So you've got two women who work in the film industry. So it's a not so much a celebrity Romance, but it's definitely like Hollywood setting kind of romance and, um, Both of the characters are like just shy of 40 or just turned 40 years old and I don't feel like we see that super often. 

Um, especially in queer books. So, that's delightful. There's also a dog that's featured in that one. That is very important to the plot for you, Briana. And then my last one is Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. Have you talked about this one before? I don't think so, but I love that.  This is one that You have to suspend your disbelief a little bit.

There's some magical realism, but it works. Weirdly enough, it works. Um, and I haven't read it in a while, but I'm going to try to remember what it's about. The main character is a ghost writer, correct? An actual ghost writer. And she is sick of writing romance novels because she doesn't believe in them.

And yada, yada, yada, things happen. And she starts getting visited by a handsome ghost.  And it sounds goofy as heck, but it works, and it's so tender and romantic and charming,  and it doesn't sound like it should work, but it does. It does. And it was just so delightful, and I hugged it at the end, probably, because that's what I do when I love a book.

That's very sweet. Yeah. I wish people could, like, feel the energy and the passion in this room that you guys are bringing to these titles, and, like, the excitement. Like, I have started reading some of these books because of how well you have book talked them. Thank you. Um, and I need a ghostwriter for one of my prompts.

I'm doing a year of reading and there's 52 prompts, one book a week, and one of them is a ghostwriter. I think that'll fit. I mean you can make it fit. It's literally a ghostwriter and figuratively a ghostwriter, and I think you'll like it Christy. It's charming. I think that's lovely. 

Yeah. There was one more that I haven't read yet.

I love it. Love it. 350. 

Love it. 350 degrees. Yes. The Piers is the last name. The first name is escaping me of the author, but um, yes, and it's, that is a baking competition show romance with older female protagonists and love interests. That one was very sweet and very fun. That, that one I would say is more on the fluffy, frothier side than most of the other ones.

It's got some, some, some stuff, but it's definitely more on the fluffy, frothy side. So if you're looking to get in on a lighter note, yeah, I love it. 350 degrees is very sweet and very fun. 

So we're going to try to put some of these titles, uh, on our, our website. So we have, uh, at Russell library, there is a staff pick section.

So cause I don't think we're going to get all these in the notes, probably not. So we'll put some of these in the staff pick section and we'll put 

a link to that. So people can go back. Lisa Pierce. I was like, I can see it. Lisa Pierce. Thank you so much. Um, yeah, and then, I mean, I didn't even name any of the ones that I'm excited about this year because I didn't even think to compile them, but it's going to be a good year for romance.

Last year was a great year and I think it's going to continue to be another good couple of years for romance. We'll definitely 

check back, um, in Shelf Life. We'll do some more, um, of 2024 romance. 

Yeah. This is great. 

Thanks for listening, everybody. This was a lot of fun. 

Yeah, so much fun and we hope you read some romance.

Yes, and let us know what you think if you do read any of the books that we talked about or recommended. 

And if you have recommendations for us based on the books that we talked about today, we'll 

take them too. Mm hmm. We love recommendations. Yes, we do. Thank you so much. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.

Bye. Bye. Bye. 

Hello, and welcome to the segment we're calling Turn That. Shh! Up! Projects at Russell Library that are too good to keep quiet. Whether you are a romantic or a cynic, Russell Library has something happening for you. Joining me is Shannon Verlari from our Digital and Emerging Technologies Department. Hey guys, how's it going? 

And we're here to talk about some of the things that are happening at the end of February and going into spring.  Our Youth and Family Learning Department will continue to host story times throughout the winter. On Tuesdays at 10. 30am, you can join our librarians for family story time for children ages birth to 6 years old, along with their families. 

Come to Russell Library's Hubbard Room to share stories, rhymes, and songs. Our children's librarians will also host story times on Fridays and Saturdays at 10. 30am. Come to the library to hear 

more. So in the beginning of March, um, we are having a Middletown Pride karaoke kickoff. I think it is. Um, this is hosted by Middletown Pride.

It will be in the Hubbard room at 5 to 8 p. m. Wednesday, March 6th. I can tell you I helped set up for this karaoke last year. It was So much fun, there was a lot of good vibes, good vibrations, um, just a really great time to, even though like Pride is starting in June, but Pride is all year round and I'm glad that we can host this event because it's a great time.

Me too. Yeah. Me too.  And we hope people will come out. And, you know, Russell Library appreciates all of the support that we receive from the community. Um, we thank you for listening, and please visit our website to learn more about our events and resources. Middletown Strong will be on hiatus, um, starting in March, but, um, we hope that you will come back to listen to us next season and to hear more from me and Jan about what will be going on. later in 2024. Oh God, so exciting. Right? Yeah.  Alright, well, thanks for listening and we'll see you next season. 

See you next season, guys. Bye.